Thoughts, comments and observations about the Chicago White Sox from the Communications Department.

Random Thoughts

Monday, March 12, 2007

Beautiful Day

Another gorgeous day here in Tucson with temperatures approaching the mid 80s. Sounds like we could be playing ball in Chicago as well.

Oh, My

Jim Thome absolutely crushed two balls today. His first home run sailed over the 50-foot high batter’s eye in center field where the fence sits 405 feet way. The second went just to the right of the first and one-hopped the cyclone fence that surrounds the ballpark block. Two massive shots.

Trip to Peoria

Yesterday’s successful trip to Peoria to face the Mariners luckily fell on a weekend so traffic was minimal. We left on the two-hour trip at 10 am (the team bus left the complex at 8 am) and arrived home at 7:40 pm. A tiring day of riding in the car, watching baseball and then riding in the car. Tough job, but someone has to do it. Props to all the White Sox fans who showed up in Peoria. The crowd seemed to be almost half Sox fans. As we got gas at a local station before the game, a black pick-up truck nearby had a Sox logo in the back window and an Arizona license plate that read, WSOXFAN.

Jim Parque

Good to see Jim Parque yesterday, and we wish him luck on his comeback attempt after sitting out two seasons. Plans are for him to go to AAA and build up arm strength.

Bobby’s Hair

Following this morning’s workout, Bobby Jenks followed through on his pledge to support the St. Balderick’s Foundation’s efforts to cure childhood cancer and shaved his head in front of WFLD cameras. Bullpen mates Andrew Sisco and Sean Tracey learned of Bobby’s gesture and shaved their own heads in support. Heath Phillips helped in the clipping, but since the left-hander is already bald, he couldn’t join in the team gesture.

Podsednik BP

Nice to see Scott Podsednik taking live batting practice on the backs fields before today’s game. It had to feel good for him, too.

Each day at 8 am, the staff (baseball operations and coaching staffs) have a meeting to review the previous day’s game (what went right, what went wrong), discuss the plan for the day ahead and evaluate individual players and their progress. Early in the year, the meetings are relatively quick, 15 minutes or so. As it gets later in the spring, the meetings can last an hour or more.

Bad Hop

It took two innings for the first bad hop single of the spring. Roger Bossard, our world reknown grounds keeper (and good friend), comes down in early February each spring to get the fields ready for the team. It seems like as soon as Roger leaves, and he flew back to Chicago this afternoon, the fields start to show the wear and tear of the spring.

Oops

How do you think minor-leaguer Clayton Richard felt when his errant throw hit Bobby Jenks in the side of the neck yesterday. Richard, a former quarterback at Michigan, sailed one into the big right-hander as the team warmed up prior to a B Game in Tucson. Stunned, Jenks took a couple of steps toward Richard before he realized it was an accident. "Bobby was going for the first sack of the spring," quipped pitching coach Don Cooper.

AJ’s Picks

Count on AJ to finish his NCAA basketball pool by having Florida face the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Gator fan’s guess at the score? 41-14, the same score of the national championship football game.

Family Time

Looking forward to the arrival of the Reifert family tomorrow night. It will be great to see my wife and kids. They are looking forward to swimming, hiking, warm weather and Sakura.

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8 Comments

Wow, no posts today. I guess everyone is on spring break. I live in Bloomington, IN and I’m a big IU bball fan. But, I think Gonzaga will beat IU in the first round. They only won 3 road games all year. I hope that will help you win your office pool.

i am getting sick of the white sox pitchers excuses on why they have been terrible this spring. garland needs to shut up already. im a big garland fan but come on! ive never heard so much whining. vazquez same thing. contreras sounded good today though thats nice. aardsma should be cut.

you gave up a run,,,,you’re outa here!. miss the cutoff man,,, off with your head!! don’t move the runner up?,,,hang him from the highest tree!!!let’s all agree to give up on the season NOW and concentrate on something else instead, like knitting or something! We can’t win and if we do win, something else is wrong with us!!!! i’m tired already and the season is still three weeks away. What’s a White Sox fan to do? i will accept suggestions until noon central time on saturday…. oh, yeah,,, happy St. Patty’s day to you …… j.k. enjoying the spring and waiting for the season to start….. i feel better now…..

“you’ve never heard so much whining?” kenwo…. do you ever listen to YOURSELF? Sorry for the little jab, but I have carpet burns from rolling on the rug after reading that one.

I’m back in Chicago now. I brought the Tucson weather home with me, for those who are wondering why have a beautiful 70 degree day in the forecast. (I just may golf here, too!)

My yield for AZ games was 2-3. Sure, they looked a little rough out there at times, but I’ll wait until May (at the earliest) before I get concerned. For now, I’ll mention two highlights:

– Meeting John Klein and his family was a real treat. JK is as kind in person as he is in the blog, and not once did he laugh during my miserable golf game. (Well, not out loud, at least.) And truth be told, only one of us played “horribly”. I hope he and his wife Pat can make it up north for our next bloggers night so that everyone else will enjoy the opportunity to get to know them.

– Brian Anderson was a gem, on the field and pre-game. I was one of the 7 people who purchased his “44” jersey last year, and when I asked him to sign the relic, he gladly obliged. Thanks, BA! During Sunday’s game, the fans sang “Happy Birthday” when Brian came to bat. Let me say, it wasn’t just a few people. It was a coming from all over the ballpark. Pretty cool.

Summing it up, going to spring training was a real joy. The atmosphere at Tucson Electric Park is very comfortable, friendly and personal. I’m not sure how else to describe it, but the fans there seem to be interconnected… kinda like family. I strongly recommend a trip before the camp moves to Glendale. And I hope the Sox organization can help maintain that same feel in the new location.

Sorry for the length of my post, but I’m jazzed up. Only 20 days ’til the opener. Let’s go Sox!

Maria, I couldn’t have said it better myself =) Glad you had a good time, and it’s great to see two fans getting a chance to meet in the warm AZ sun. (Thanks for the weather, by the way..at least for a day or so). I’m a huge BA fan, and hold out hope for him to realize his potential. I may have been sleeping, but why the change in his jersey number??
Bring on the real baseball!! I’m SOOOO ready!

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